This year has not got off to the slow start that I was hoping for. Wednesday there was a Fire in the bush near our House (about 1 km away). 

 

I was at home doing housework when I heard sirens. The first few I didn't take much notice of but when they kept on going and sounding really close I checked the Emergency WA Warnings website and saw there was a fire right near our house. Then I looked out the window and saw thick black smoke.

 

I straight away called my friend who lives across the road. We met out the front of our houses and she called her mate who's a volunteer firey. He recommended we Pack a bag and be prepared to leave so that's what we did.

 

Thankfully the boys were out with their Uncle so I didn't have to worry about them. I called my bff who came home from work, organised for the boys to be taken to her house, arranged for my sister to look after the dog and was able to pack our bags.

 

It didn't take long until there were planes and helicopters flying over our house. That was scary!

For years I've had a bag with all of our important documents and photos in it. Due to that I didn't have to race around trying to get things together but I have realised there's a few areas where my evacuation plan could be improved. The bag with all our things in it is great, but I didn't know what else I needed to pack so had to call Tiger to find out what he needed. Now that I know, I've made a checklist that I'll keep in our evacuation bag so I don't miss anything.

The fire was clearly visible from our house and by the time I'd made sure the kids and dog were settled I could see that it was under control. They had 2 planes and 2 helicopters dropping water on it, plus the fire brigade.

 

Three things have stuck with me. 

One, people are stupid. There were so many cars and people, including families with young children, heading towards the fire to check it out. This was despite knowing that it could easily jump from the bush to the residential area in which case they would have been in immediate danger. 

 

Two, my friends and neighbours are awesome. We were all looking out for each other and it was great. 

 

Three, as I was walking around my house looking at what I wanted to save, there wasn't much. It's all just stuff that can be replaced. There's no way I'd stay around to save the house, if there's an emergency I'm out of there.

 

The only concerning thing is that I didn't pack my coffee machine. I think there must be something seriously wrong. 

I hope that your year is off to a less eventful start. Here's hoping we all have a boring and uneventful year.